Violence erupted in Miami's Wynwood neighborhood last month, leaving a group of LGBTQ women brutally attacked after a night out. According to a report by NBC6, a video captured part of the assault, which Miami Police are now investigating as a possible hate crime. One of the victims told NBC6 about a barrage of anti-lesbian slurs preceding the physical violence, saying, "This group of guys, basically, they just started screaming stuff at us."
One of the women was knocked out during the incident, sustaining injuries that could require surgery. "I definitely felt targeted for sure, I mean they were definitely trying to hate on the fact that we were gay. I don't know why, I don't understand to this day why," another victim said to NBC6. They provided police with the identity of one alleged attacker, believed to be a professional fighter.
A separate but simultaneous attack on a transgender woman was detailed in the Miami New Times. Kaci Melendez, a witness, recounted how a heated verbal exchange outside an LGBTQ "White Party" sparked the altercation, which escalated quickly. The confrontation turned violent when one of the men reacted aggressively to an insult concerning his penis size. The transgender woman, trying to stop the fight, was beaten into unconsciousness and suffered a severe head wound.
The Miami Police Department is working with their LGBTQ+ liaison and the SAO Hate Crime Task Force to determine whether the incidents meet the criteria to be prosecuted as hate crimes. "We are actively working on the case. Like any investigation, we have to dot the I’s and cross the T's," Miami Police told NBC6 in a statement. Victims are eager for justice, expressing concern over the assailants' continued freedom.
These violent attacks contribute to a disturbing trend of anti-LGBTQ violence, with the Human Rights Campaign reporting at least 33 transgender and gender-nonconforming individuals killed in violent assaults in the United States this year, as per information obtained by the Miami New Times. The majority were transgender women of color. Local authorities are still investigating the incidents in Wynwood, with the welfare of the victims and community at stake.
